In recent years, the range, volume, and sources of content available for viewing on TV and other content viewing devices has increased significantly. There are now non-traditional sources of content that can be viewed via applications on devices, including streaming and Web content, which has made it more complex and time-consuming for users to select and access content. Not surprisingly, TV viewers, for example, are getting frustrated with the present state of this fragmented content experience. They often find it inefficient or cumbersome to find content that they want to watch and have to switch between different types of content sources. Moreover, they have to do this through a TV system interface that is not uniform in its presentation and does not provide an intuitive, uniform, or pleasant user experience. In addition, not all users are technically savvy enough to switch, for example, between apps, input devices, streaming, and live TV. Users typically have to go through several menu options to find the correct content source, launch or open it, browse available content, and identify the content they want to watch.
What is needed is an integrated approach and presentation with respect to options for selecting content sources or services, and opening specific content from a selected source. These features and entry points into system functions should be presented to the user in one uniform, simple menu.